The Promise
by stop and go
Summary: Hermione, upset over Ron and Lavender, seeks an escape in the Room of Requirement. She stumbles upon a scared Draco Malfoy. Strangely, the two confide in one another and give each other a final promise. Takes place in HBP. Oneshot.


**The Promise**

_Written by Stop and Go_

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Hermione Granger was in tears.

Ron Weasley, who everyone knew she had liked for _ages_, was snogging that awful Lavender Brown right in the middle of the common room! Then, he had the nerve to drag that, that _girl_ into the empty classroom she was in! If Harry hadn't been there, Ron may have spent the night in the hospital wing.

Now, she was searching for a new place to wallow in her misery and curse that Ronald Weasley for ever saving her from that troll. She was headed towards the library, her safe haven and escape from the daily pressures of life before a better idea struck her. Just like that, she found herself on the sixth floor outside of what looked like a blank wall.

She walked past it three times, all the while thinking _'Give me a place to hide. A place to get away from Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. A place to hide from everyone!'_

At once, a door materialized in front of her and she flung it open. The room she found was expansive, filled with odds and ends of items left by previous visitors of the room. From the depths of the room, Hermione could hear the familiar sounds of despair. She felt drawn to it, like moths to a flame.

"There's no chance I'll come out of this alive, is there? He can't expect me to succeed, he's just doing this to torture my father."

Hermione peered around the corner and saw the back of a boy her age speaking to his owl in a sad voice. She felt her heart break as he buried his head into his arms.

"I'm going to die trying to do this. It's an impossible task."

She couldn't help herself. This boy was in so much emotional anguish. She took a few steps closer towards him, curiosity and sympathy flooding through her veins.

"I'm going to die, aren't I? And the sad part is, they won't care. They would have known all along that it was a suicidal mission."

Hermione winced and froze in her spot as she knocked over a large statue. It fell with a loud crash to the floor and the boy spun towards her, wand at the ready.

"What do you want Granger?"

Draco Malfoy spoke to her in a deathly quiet voice, trying desperately to wipe away his tears. His face passed through so many emotions in those few seconds - panic, embarrassment, anger, malice, and sorrow. He caught a glimpse of tears falling freely down her face, her hands clutched awkwardly, her hair flung wildly behind her.

"Granger, what's wrong?" He asked her in a small voice.

Hermione looked into his gray eyes, losing herself in them before realizing that a full thirty seconds had passed without an answer. She shook her head and tried to say, "Nothing" but the words didn't come. The events of the night were too much for her.

"I'd thought that you'd be up in your common room celebrating your quidditch cup victory with Potter and Weasley."

At the mention of the redhead, Hermione burst into tears again and fell to her knees. Draco looked appalled and confused. He had never had to deal with a crying girl before. He walked over cautiously, before gently patting her on the shoulder.

"Sorry. I – I didn't mean to make you cry. I didn't know that you weren't happy with the quidditch cup."

She let out a mirthless laugh, tears still streaming down her face. "Qudditch? Oh, I'm fine with winning the quidditch cup! It's – It's …"

"My absence from the game?" He answered, trying to make her laugh.

Hermione let out a frustrated groan before saying, "It's Ron!" She sobbed into her arms. "That stupid git! Snogging that _girl_ senseless! Right in front of me!"

"Snogging who?" 

"Lavender Brown! I mean, what does he see in her anyways?" She screeched.

Draco, who had been Lavender's classmate for six years, knew that she was one of the girls who had blossomed early. In fact, he could see exactly what Ron saw in her. Lavender Brown was easily one of the prettiest girls in their year.

Yet, he couldn't bring himself to tell the crying girl in front of him this. Instead, he sat on the floor next to her and with embarrassment put his arm around her, saying, "I don't know Granger. She's not worth much."

He felt her stiffen beneath his arm and cringed. Obviously, this was awkward. The two had been enemies for their entire lives and now they found themselves in each other's arms, both upset and seeking refuge.

Hermione visibly deflated. "Ron and _Lavender._ It doesn't even make sense. She's so – so _obnoxious_ and clingy and Ron's, well, he's not."

Draco smirked. "Weasley's probably just riding on his victory and grabbed the first girl he saw. Really, you have nothing to worry about."

"Well, what do you know? This is Ron's first experience with a girl and he's not going to let her go so easily! I don't care what you say about Lavender, I know plenty of guys who are attracted to her! Pavarti's always going on about who's interested in her!"

Hermione's voice was an octave higher than it normally was. She stood up abruptly, throwing Draco backwards, and began pacing back and forth.

"I mean, if he really wanted a girlfriend, he could have asked me!"

Draco felt only slightly surprised at this statement. The whole school knew that Hermione had liked Ron for years and Draco felt a slight pang of pity for her. She certainly fell for the thickest boy in school. Ron still had no idea about Hermione's true affections.

He got to his feet. "Listen Granger. Weasley's is only a bit brighter than Crabbe. He's got no idea how to treat the opposite sex. He'll come around eventually. I mean, he can't possibly go seven years at Hogwarts and never find out that you fancy him."

She sniffled quietly before turning her eyes onto him. "What's wrong with you? You were going on about dying earlier. It's probably much more important than my pathetic love life."

"It's nothing." He replied quickly. How could he ever explain it to her?

"Oh."

Hermione took a seat near the fallen statue and stared a spot a few feet in front of her. She truly wanted to know what could have made Draco Malfoy cry. Surprisingly, Draco sat down next to her and let out a tired sigh.

"I've got a mission." he began to explain. "A task that I've got to finish before the end of the year. It's dangerous and it's nearly impossible. I'm pretty sure I'm going to die."

"Has it got to do with V-Voldermort?" Her voice shook.

Draco looked at her inquisitively. Her amber eyes were teary and her nose red from crying. "You say his name?"

She smiled. "I never used to. Even being a – a mudblood, I never said his name."

"Don't call yourself that."

It was her turn to look at him. He was avoiding her gaze, loose strands of blonde hair hanging delicately in his face. "So what's this mission? It's got to be horrible."

"I've got to … kill someone."

"Who? Anyone in particular?"

Draco hesitated. "Dumbledore."

"I knew it was going to be someone like that." Hermione sighed. "You're the one who sent the pearls."

He nodded. "If I don't do it, he'll kill my family."

Hermione looked at him again and noticed that his normally arrogant air was replaced with fear. "But why trust the job with a sixteen year old? Why not give it to a more experienced death eater?"

"You were there," Draco replied, giving her a hard look. "Last year, at the Department of Mysteries. You saw my father lose the prophecy. You saw him land himself in Azkaban, leaving behind a wife and son. The Dark Lord doesn't forgive easily. I suppose I'm being used as some sort of revenge."

"But that's horrible! I mean, can't you do something about it? The Order could help you or you could run or …"

"It's too late. Far too late. You can't even begin to imagine how much I regret becoming a death eater."

She looked at him helplessly. "You're a death eater?"

He showed her the mark. The ink was bright and fresh. The contrast between the mark and his skin was dramatic.

"Granger?"

"Yes?"

"Promise you won't tell? I know you're close to Dumbledore and the Order and to Potter but … promise?"

She bit her lip. "I don't know if I can do that."

"Please … Hermione, please." Draco was nearly in tears again. "If they found out that I've told you, he'll send someone after you and I couldn't live with myself if you died."

"I didn't realize I meant so much to you." She replied, trying to sound sarcastic. She too was on the verge of tears.

"Hermione, you have no idea." He took her hand and entwined hers in his. "You've got to live through this. I don't want to be the cause of your death."

"You know we're fighting on opposite sides. We're going to be trying to kill each other in a few months."

"But the longer I keep you alive …"

"Draco," she squeezed his hand, "you have my word that I won't tell. Please, just promise me that you won't die during this."

"Granger, I never knew you cared."

"Really. You'd better survive."

"I'll try. I promise."

The pair sat like that for quite some time, hand in hand and repeating their promises to themselves. The silence of the room covered them like a warm wool blanket. A fireplace crackled in the distance.

Finally, Draco broke the silence. "You know, Weasley's a git if he picked Brown over you."

Hermione blushed and shook her head. "Anyone would pick Lavender over me."

"That's not true." He gave her a genuine smile. "Could Lavender Brown sit next to me and put up with my whining? Not many girls or guys could do that. You must have ears of steel."

"You do know that tomorrow, we'll have to pretend that this never happened. That we never met here. That we - "

"Come on, do you really want to ruin the night? Let's not think about it …"

The silence returned, this time with a lingering sadness in the air. Both knew that tonight was the only time they could ever be friends. The only time where they could forget their past and statuses, and sit in peace with one another.

Hermione leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. The sound of her deep, even breathing meant she had fallen asleep. Draco summoned his cloak and put it around the two of them as he too shut his eyes and fell asleep.

If the average student stumbled across this scene, they would surely die of shock. _Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger!? It couldn't be!_ Yet, if they had only felt the understanding and compassion flowing between the two as they slept, the worry they felt for each other's lives and the contentment with each other's existence, they'd finally understand what the two felt for each other.

They did not love each other; Hermione's heart belonged to her best friend. They were not friends; he barely knew her and she, him. They were simply two souls searching for a moment of truth from another being. Their hunt landed them in the most discreet room of Hogwarts where their hearts beat as one.

In the still of the night, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger forgot everything and breathed in all they had to offer each other. For one night, they were at peace.

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**A/N:** This takes place in OOTP, after Gryffindor wins the quidditch cup. Hermione runs out of the room after Ron and Lavender come in to kiss. I've always been a Draco/Hermione person but JKR pulls off Ron/Hermione so well that I couldn't possibly have this take place during the book and have Hermione fall for Draco. The story itself is a bit of a long shot. Canon Hermione would have immediately told Harry or Dumbledore while canon Draco would have cursed the heck out of Hermione when she entered the room. I'm riding on the fact that both are emotional wrecks and have lost their wits for a few minutes to make the story seem remotely believable.

As always, I'd love it if you'd **review**. Every single one means the world to me.


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